Business & Entrepreneurship

Through a variety of programs, the Business & Entrepreneurship Division helps entrepreneurs, businesses and economic development professionals achieve their goals by connecting them with technical assistance, consulting, training, data analysis, resources and other services. We follow a collaborative model, working alongside local organizations and other institutions to best serve clients across all of our program areas.

Programs

Whether you are planning a new business or are a long-time entrepreneur, the Division for Business & Entrepreneurship is proud to help connect Wisconsin’s businesses through our wide-reaching programs.

Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers Network

The Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a statewide network supporting entrepreneurs and business owners through no-cost, confidential consulting and targeted educational programs.

Center for Technology Commercialization

The Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC) works with innovators, inventors and researchers to bring new technologies to market by navigating the process of commercialization.

Melayna G

I am extremely grateful for UWFox. It is close to where I live, and most of all, it is inexpensive! Without it, I most likely would not have even attempted college. I also love that it's part of the UW system so that I am able to transfer fairly easily to other UW colleges.
I plan on getting my bachelor’s degree and becoming an educator. I would like to do that for a while and then eventually get my master’s degree. Right now, my plan is to have my science emphasis be astronomy. When I go back for the master's degree, I will focus on astronomy and hopefully work for NASA some day!
Music is my passion and I was actually majoring in it when I first started college. I decided that I didn't want to turn my passion into my career, but always keep it as my hobby or my escape. I have always wanted to teach, too, and I absolutely love science so I chose that instead.
I plan on transferring to UW Oshkosh and completing my bachelor’s degree there. I would like to teach somewhere in the Appleton area for now while my husband and I save as much money as possible. I'm taking life day by day and enjoying every moment so that when I look back on this time in my life, I will be comforted by its memory and live without regret.

UW-Extension: Ideadvance Seed Fund

In this video, Scott Vanderbeck discusses how Ideadvance Seed Fund helped his company, Organic Research Corporation, pivot and succeed in the medical marketplace. Dave Linz and Idella Yamben, two UW-Extension employees intimately involved with Ideadvance, explain the program’s role in growing new companies like Vanderbeck’s.

UW-Extension works with the people of Wisconsin to solve their most pressing issues and uncover their most promising opportunities through hundreds of programs and initiatives statewide. Thanks to vital partnerships with the 26 UW campuses, county and tribal governments, and other public and private organizations, UW-Extension’s wide-ranging initiatives impact 1.5 million people every year by providing access to university resources and engaging people in learning, wherever they live and work.